Expert: Steve Summers - 6/8/2004

Question
My husband has a business trip to Lancaster, CA.  We live in Cape Canaveral, FL, so we decided to make a little vacation out of the trip.  (We don't have kids!) We must spend two nights in Lancaster, but after that we can stay wherever we want.  We want to go to some of the tourist traps, Hollywood, Rodeo Drive, Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills, Chinese Theatre, but we also want to go to the beaches and drive on the PCH, Mulholland Drive,etc.. A friend suggested Santa Monica as a place to stay.  Someone else said Santa Barbara.  We have a tight budget, so any ideas would be appreciated.  We just intend to sleep at the hotel, and spend the rest of the time touring around, so mostly we'd like a good part of town, and a clean room.  I found a Comfort Inn in Santa Monica, but I don't know how nice it is.
Thanks so much.  Lisa Rae

Answer
Hi Lisa Rae,

Lancaster, eh? I hope your hotel has a pool, because Lancaster in the high desert. It will probably be hot, but at least it is usually dry there. Make sure your hotel in Lancaster has a pool.

The key to staying cheap in LA is knowing which areas are just a bit off the beaten path, so you can stay in a clean place without paying the big bucks. With that said, here are a few ideas for you:

Pasadena is a great place to stay, since it is only 10 miles from downtown LA. The Westin Pasadena has an excellent location, although the rooms are small. If you just use the rooms to sleep in, this might be the ticket for you.

The Holiday Inn Monrovia has a nice location, right next to a Claim Jumper restaurant, and there are plenty of restaurants further down Huntington Dr. Only about 15 miles from downtown LA. The Springhill Suites, just down the street in Arcadia, are also nice.

Commerce is mostly an industrial area, but it is a short drive south of downtown LA. There is also the Citadel, a nifty outlet mall that used to be a Uniroyal tire factory. The Wyndham Commerce is right in the complex with the Citadel, so you can have easy access to shopping.

The Holiday Inn Torrance is nice enough, about 10 miles south of downtown LA. It has a nice pool and sun deck.

Santa Monica is nice enough, but if you venture too far south into Venice, that's where all the space aliens live.

The Luxe Summit Hotel Bel-Aire, has a great location, near Beverly Hills. Drive down Sunset Boulevard to the east, and you are in Hollywood. To the west, you will get to the Pacific Ocean. There's a reason the Reagans lived in Bel Air. Close to UCLA, Westwood Village. Here's a tip: Take Sunset to the Pacific Ocean, then take PCH North/West to Malibu and Oxnard. Great trip, just don't go weekday evenings, due to commuter traffic. A bit more upscale, but I've gotten worse for $140.

Santa Barbara, you say? How about this: Take the trip up PCH from Santa Monica, past Malibu, all the way to Oxnard. Highway 1 (PCH) ends at highway 101, which you take to Carpinteria. Stay at the Motel 6 south (Clean and comfortable, just like the commercials say) or at the Holiday Inn Suites (Get a corporate card and get the corporate rate). There is a local place called The Spot on Linden Ave where the locals eat. The Palms on Linden Ave is a bit more upscale, where you can cook your own steak. Carp is just 10 miles from Santa Barbara, where you can visit State Street, relax at the Beach, or visit the mission Santa Barbara (Catholic missionaries were never so lucky).

So much to do, so little time!

Notes:

Climate is usually foggy in the mornings near the coast June & July, but it usually burns off quickly.

Be sure to have an In N Out Burger while in California.

Freeways are a little bit faster and narrower than in Florida (spent a week in Ft. Lauderdale in April).

Have fun!

Steve